How to Help Your Child Learn to Read at Home

What are the stages of learning to read?

Children usually learn to read in six stages: letters and their sounds, blending sounds into words, word families and sound teams, tricky words like the and said, reading sentences and then books, and finally reading to understand. Most schools teach them in about this order through Kindergarten and Grades 1–2.

1. Letters and sounds. Knowing that b says /b/ matters more than knowing its name.
2. Blending. Putting sounds together: /c/ /a/ /t/ → cat.
3. Word families and sound teams. cat, hat, mat; then sh, ch, ee, oa.
4. Tricky words. Common words that don’t follow the rules, like the, said and was.
5. Reading sentences, then books. Slowly at first, then more smoothly, with expression.
6. Reading to understand. Who, what, why, and what the story is really about.

These stages are the “foundational skills” part of Common Core. Find out where your child’s class is, and practice that stage.

What is the best way to help a child learn to read?

Listen to your child read aloud to you, every day. It’s how beginning readers get fluent: you catch a word they keep guessing at and praise a hard word they got right. Ten minutes is enough. Let them try first, help with the sounds rather than the answer, and choose books at the right level.

• Let them try first. Wait a few seconds before helping with a word.
• Help with the sounds, not the answer. “What sound does this make? Now blend them.”
• Re-reading is good. Reading the same book again builds speed and confidence.
• Pick the right level. If they’re stuck on more than one word in ten, choose an easier book.

Should I keep reading to my child once they can read?

Yes. Keep reading aloud to your child even once they can read alone, choosing books a little harder than they can manage on their own. It grows vocabulary, shows what fluent reading sounds like, and keeps reading a pleasure. Ask a question or two at the end: “Why do you think she did that?”

What reading activities can I do at home?

Match the activity to your child’s stage. Play “I spy” with letter sounds, say sounds slowly for them to blend, and change one letter to make new words. Put tricky words on sticky notes around the house. Once they read books, listen for ten minutes a day, then talk about the story.

What should I do if my child is struggling to read?

A slow start is common, and every child learns to read at their own pace. But if your child is struggling a lot by the middle of Grade 1, or can’t hear the separate sounds in words, talk to the teacher. Extra phonics support early on makes a big difference.

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